Known by Native Americans as “Chief of the Forest,” medical literature shows that the powerful Pacific Yew tree has been intensively used and analyzed for its remarkable benefits for cellular health, and has also been historically utilized in its natural form as an immune booster, as a salve for cuts, scrapes and skin irritations and more.
PARTS USED
Bark, leaf.
USES
Druids saw the yew as the tree of immortality and held it sacred. Later, Christians planted it in their churchyards. The reason is not clear. Some say it was to keep cattle from eating its poisonous berries; others say it was because a steady supply of the wood was needed for making bows. The Latin name taxa comes from the Greek toxon, the root word for “poison” and “bow”. Legend has it that the famous archer and outlaw Robin Hood was married under a yew tree. Ancient British law protected the yew tree and prescribed penalties for disfiguring yew wood furniture, carvings, or doors. Native Americans also held the yew in high regard. Some tribes saw it as the chief of trees. Although it had a variety of uses, Native Americans, like Europeans, associated it with war and bows.
The compound paclitaxel, from the bark of this plant, stabilizes microtubules, the part of the cell that maintains shape and aids in cell division. It combats certain cancers, most notably ovarian and breast. In the early 1960s the Pacific yew was part of a wide-spread search for cancer-fighting plants. More than 20 years later, clinical trials began. In 1994 scientists succeeded in synthesizing paclitaxel from yew needles and bark after concerns that a severe depletion in the numbers of yews could occur. Needles from a related species, T. baccata, have been used for many ailments, such as tapeworms, epilepsy, and tonsillitis. Medical experts do not recommend self prescribing, however, because yew needles and seeds are known to be toxic